Real Living Space

It took me some time to react because of the whole National Artist Awards controversy that’s been brewing for weeks now. For one, the first time I read the list, I honestly thought that one of the names listed was a typo and had to re-read it. But I’m not going to talk about that particular “artist.” I’m only going to talk about the collateral damage.

Noted architect Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa was one of the artists included in the “President’s Prerogative” list. I know that inclusion in the list makes it sound bad, but I honestly think that Mañosa’s body of work makes him qualified and that he definitely deserves it. Criteria for the award includes that you have to have made an impact on future artists, and Filipinos in general. Even though Mañosa was heavily associated with the Marcoses back then, he helped champion the concept of the Filipino materials and design to the public.
I can vouch for the fact that a lot of the younger architects (including his own son, Gelo) I’ve met who’ve worked in his office at one point or another have been heavily influenced by his philosophy on Filipino design, and have brought it with them throughout their design careers. One of his architects, the kindly Stanley Fernandez, even championed it when he taught Tropical Design at the University of the Philippines. Mañosa’s work on the Filipino home wasn’t confined to his own design firm; it actually had a trickle-down effect. Because of him, and because he influenced his junior architects, a lot of Filipino homes can breathe better, and are planned well.

And there is that iconic factor of Mañosa as well. I spotted him at a construction fair recently, quietly browsing through some books at one of the design bookstore booths there. I wanted to say hi to him, but I was too starstruck! A salesclerk approached Mañosa as he went to the stack of tropical design books, and obviously didn’t recognize him.

Salesclerk: “Yan po sir, puro tungkol sa mga tropical design na residential.”

Mañosa: “Ay oo, I did a bit of that too.”

Readers, what do you think? (To see more of Mañosa’s work, click here. To read more about the National Awards controversy, visit spot.ph)

 life was simple.  Or was it really?

In ‘Land of Promise,’  Sisters Gail and Marija Vicente take a trip down memory lane and recount their childhood in the lush city of Davao. While at it, the sisters “struggle between what was perceived then and what is seen through retrospect.”

Land Of Promise by Gail Vicente and Marija Vicente opens at the 20Square Gallery, SLab at 6 pm on July 15, 2009 and runs until the 1st of August 2009.

Land Of Promise by Gail Vicente and Marija Vicente will be shown alongside Dead Ends and False Starts by Mariano Ching at SLab and Sundance by Kawayan de Guia, Neal Oshima, Allan Razo and Julius Clar at Silverlens Gallery.

For inquiries, contact Silverlens Gallery at 2/F YMC Bldg. II, 2320 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati, 816-0044, 0905-2650873, or manage@silverlensphoto.com. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 10am–7pm and Saturdays 1–6pm. www.silverlensphoto.com.

Start the Independence Day weekend celebration this Thursday night by attending the opening of the latest exhibit at Pablo Gallery, Cubao X.

Entitled “Wallflower”, the 2nd Solo exhibition of AJ Dimarucot will be unveiled at 7 pm.

His exhibit will run from 11  june to 3 july 2009.

Toy company LEGO has gone beyond the basic family-with-house-and-tree sets and has been creating more fantastic, more conceptual Lego-land ideas lately. Out now: Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Sets. These two are of his more famous projects, the Falling Water House and the Guggenheim in New York.

Other Lego iconic architect sets I want to see: Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, and Frank Gehry. Read more about it here.

I finally managed to swing by the new Pablo at the Fort this week. Though it might have branched out in an entirely different zip code, Pablo is still making space for the same vibrant, edgy pieces its been known for.

So here’s the latest news from PABLO at the Fort:

Maria Cruz’s show, “Your Daydreams Reveal Something about Your Ethnic Background”, opens today Friday, 17 April 2009, at 7pm.

*PABLO is located at UNIT C-11 South of Market Condominium
Fort Bonifacio, Global City Taguig
telephone: +632 9863887
www.pablogalleries.com <mailto:fort@pablogalleries.com>

I feel bad about all the unrest happening in Thailand right now. Tourism is their main industry, and if the mess continues, it won’t be good for them at all. Fortunately, my friend Terrie was able to visit just before the chaos started, and she was raving about the Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC), an exhibit area/library/center for all things Thai design-related (read Terrie’s blog about the TCDC here). I love their room partition made out of paper plates (a cool, albeit temporary recycling idea):

And of course, I’d love to browse through their cool, designer-goody-laden souvenir shop!

Their exhibit ideas are so interesting—green packaging, Thai street food stalls, Japanese design—each exhibit shows a slice of Asian culture. I’m definitely checking out the TCDC the next time I visit Thailand (when all the social unrest is over). I also love their online exhibits, such as their online retrospective on Modern Thai Architecture.

I wish someone over here would follow suit with the online exhibit idea (paging Dean Dan Silvestre! This would be great with archival photos on Philippine architecture)—this would reach a bigger audience, especially with those who are not to keen on going to museums.

The Makati Artists Guild is holding an exhibit entitled “Rurok” at the ART CENTER, 4th level, SM Megamall Building A. It started last February 27 and will run until March 15, 2009.

Curated by Renato Habulan, “Rurok” features the works of Rubee Alcantara, Fanny Blanco, Mel Cabriana, Thomas Daquioag, Lita Gelano, Teresita Mapua, Obi Mapua, Hadrian Mendoza, Helen Mirasol, Peter Sutcliffe, Stella Torres, Aina Valencia, Abby Yao, and Molly Yap.

In our April 2007 summer issue, we did a story on paper (which we shot on location at the quaint and picturesque Sitio Remedios in Ilocos Norte.) One of our featured items was an acid-free paper sculpture entitled “Durian” by artist Cathy Lasam.

Today, Cathy Lasam together with Jojo Ballo are opening their joint exhibit entitled “Counterpoise”, which showcases a series of artworks presenting artworks in modular pairs. Cathy and Jojo’s unique brand of creativity in theme and artistry in technique shines through with every pair— Jojo with his mandala-making and painting, and Cathy with her paper-folding and sculpture.

Derived from the Old French term for counterweight or counterbalance, the word “Counterpoise” sums up equivalent opposing forces that maintain equilibrium. As different as their individual bodies of work may seem at first glance, Jojo and Cathy have reached a state of counterpoise with this collaborative series centered on the Yin and Yang concept found in traditional Chinese philosophy.

Jojo Ballo is an architect, artist known for his abstract paintings on both canvas and ceramic, poet, and former curator and gallery manager who has held six one-man shows and participated in several group exhibitions at venues such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Art Center in SM Megamall.

Cathy Lasam, an artist and teacher who is an award-winning cum laude graduate of the College of Fine Arts in UP Diliman. Her exhibition credits include solo and group shows at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Museum of Arts & Sciences at the University of Sto. Tomas, the Museo Arte de Contemporaneo Ateneo in Yucatan, Mexico, and the Gallerie Gavarni in Paris, France.

“Counterpoise” runs until January 17, 2009 at the One Workshop Gallery, Ground Floor 2241 La Fuerza Plaza II, Don Chino Roces Ave. corner Sabio St., Makati City. Gallery hours are from 10am to 7pm daily except Sundays. For inquiries, call or fax 819-2074, e-mail inquiry@owg.cc, or visit www.owg.cc.

The Angono Ateliers Association, an association founded in 1975 with the hope of honing the skills of young and emerging visual artists from Angono, is holding a fund-rising exhibit entitled “HANDOG SA MAESTRO” at the 2nd floor hallway, Philippine Senate Building, Roxas blvd., Pasay City from 10-19 DECEMBER 2008

This is for the benefit of the on-going restoration of the Studio Museum of one of Angono’ s distinguished sons, National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco. It was in this studio along Doña Aurora Street in Angono, Rizal where Botong painted his magnificent landmark murals such as “Fiesta”, “Bayanihan”, “Kasaysayan ng Medisina”, etc, which adorned the walls of Malacañang Palace, Manila City Hall, Philippine General Hospital and other edifices.

The Francisco family initially planned to start the restoration of Botong’s studio five years ago but budgetary constraints stalled this undertaking. It was only in November 2008 that the restoration finally gained ground in time for the commemoration of his 96th birth anniversary, and is now midway into its completion.

The family is likewise honored to exhibit some of Botong’s sketches and painting to highlight his contribution to Filipino culture and the national art community.

Few would remember the name Jorn Utzon, but the whole world would immediately recognize the Sydney Opera House.

Utzon, the architect of the iconic Sydney Opera House, passed away this weekend, November 29, at the age of 90. To give you a backgrounder, Utzon won in the design competition for the Opera House way back in the 50s. His concept for the building was that it is supposed to be composed of different parts of a sphere, and legend has it that he came up with the idea while peeling an orange and looking at its sections.

If you’re a design fanatic, it’s one of the must-see buildings before you die. I visited it in 1997, and I was blown away—unlike other blockish buildings, the Opera House, especially upon approach from Sydney Harbour; is an incredibly dramatic structure. Walking up the steps, you can see that up close, the “shells” are made of thousands of different-colored tiles that somehow seem to look alike when viewed from afar.

Utzon let go of the Opera House project after almost 10 years fighting with the Australian government, who questioned the project cost and Utzon’s capabilities as a designer. Ironically, this Dane’s lasting legacy is a building that is instantly associated with Australia, almost on the same level as koalas and kangaroos, and even more so than Ayers Rock. (Photo by Ed Medina)